Beautiful Food - the Garden

Moved here in fall of 2009 - yard was mud and clay. Landscaped to integrate food plants with perennials, and create a peaceful sanctuary. It works for me - I got a freezer full of veggies, and a lovely little retreat too!

These shots are all from last September, when most gardens in my area were dying. As you can see, I love green beans - these are Scarlet Runners - they taste great and attract hummingbirds. My Border Collie Lucy is in some of the shots - she died shortly after they were taken. Now, I foster small dogs for a rescue - but just had to adopt a little prince called Biscuit (a Papillon). He and I team it to help other abused dogs get healthy, regain their trust and learn how to enjoy life. …Spring is just barely starting here - the snow melted last week, then it dumped about 6 inches again this last weekend! Almost gone though and I can't wait to start gardening again. Lots of plants stayed green under the snow, and the crocuses and mini-Irises are blooming. I love it.

Hope you enjoy...

Arbor with beans at dusk:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/300a8a1dda18.jpg[/atsimg]

Beans, tomatoes and flowers:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/cd00a2c36c33.jpg[/atsimg]

North corner, by shed:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/fa02d79451ee.jpg[/atsimg]

Moving left, tomatoes:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/814762b00e78.jpg[/atsimg]

Tomatoes with Rose Campion, Hosta, Bleeding Heart:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/9533135fca3b.jpg[/atsimg]

Looking North, beets bottom center, beans and tomatoes to back, sunflower center:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/25880a1f4fc2.jpg[/atsimg]

Longer view to North/East, sunflower in center, beans and tomatoes upper right, beets in lower right corner, Border Collie Lucy (now deceased) in lower left:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/dd28f5b956ab.jpg[/atsimg]

Another angle:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/90d6bb07169d.jpg[/atsimg]

Looking East, beans, beets:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/6d162e436385.jpg[/atsimg]

Close-up:
atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/cfaddb7d85f9.jpg[/atsimg]

Looking south, beans climbing East wall:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/b5efdaff9160.jpg[/atsimg]

Blueberry bush, mint, frame entrance to South side:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/efa887367115.jpg[/atsimg]

Looking right, Meadow Rue, Coral Bells with Mint (fence keeps dogs from racing through):
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/43e284fe42ca.jpg[/atsimg]

Looking left, tomatoes growing over pond:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/cfedddac8c71.jpg[/atsimg]

Beets, tomatoes, onions, garlic, little patio by waterfall, with amber eggs in dish:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/7bcdf389e35b.jpg[/atsimg]

Different angle:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/47d334aaefb1.jpg[/atsimg]

Cukes at SouthWest corner:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/34de19047478.jpg[/atsimg]

Lilies around pond bloomed again after this shot taken:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/6edf56176a3b.jpg[/atsimg]

Birds sit on this structure, drink and bathe in waterfall not the rusty b-bath, South wall of fence:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/947aeab0f002.jpg[/atsimg]

Tomatoes (grew 3 varieties), chives, Echinacea, looking North at East wall:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/5918c3b431c4.jpg[/atsimg]

Different angle:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/ff4a596ee30c.jpg[/atsimg]

Echinacea, beets, beans, chives, onions, tomatoes and more on East wall, South of door:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/cf756f793076.jpg[/atsimg]

Lucy on center patio:
[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/30ec6258dbe7.jpg[/atsimg]

I planted those same hostas.
You have a very nice garden going,keep up the great work.

Beautiful garden - I have always wanted
a garden such as this - I love the semi
wild look to it. Enjoy - I am lucky to get
tomato plants in the ground - I was going
to do that last week and we had a cold
spell so I think I will wait until the
first of May.

reply to post by crazydaisy

reply to post by DrumsRfun


Thanks DrumsRfun and crazydaisy. S&

...I do think it's important to know that food plants do not have to be planted in rows - and mixed plantings are healthier for the plants too. They like variety in their company.

Oh so beautiful. Heart is yearning for creating this. Have 300 dollars worth of heritage organic seeds of a wide variety and don't know what to do with them. We're under the Fukushima rain cloud and it snowed just last week.

I am soooo jealous!
2nd

Originally posted by Unity_99
Oh so beautiful. Heart is yearning for creating this. Have 300 dollars worth of heritage organic seeds of a wide variety and don't know what to do with them. We're under the Fukushima rain cloud and it snowed just last week.

I still use heritage seeds out of the package from 15 years ago - and they germinate! So don't lose heart.

Worry about that radiation tho. ...wish we could just burn it off or neutralize it in some way. But don't forget, distribution is VERY uneven - your soil could be fine but your neighbor's could be contaminated. Funny how things work... Just get out that trusty geiger counter!

reply to post by soficrow


OK now I know why I love you so much, could I come live with you now? Lol, I will have to get some pictures up too. The integration is divine.

Inspirational, have a million comments but have to get offline for now.

Namaste

Originally posted by antar
reply to post by soficrow

 

OK now I know why I love you so much, could I come live with you now? Lol, I will have to get some pictures up too. The integration is divine.

Can hardly wait to hear your "more" comments.

...Love you too! Visit any time.

reply to post by soficrow


Ah, soficrow, soficrow. Magnificence. The "backdoor garden", and you have done it so beautifully; so artistically.
An edible sanctuary.

I have tomatoes, cantaloupes, blueberries, strawberries, and a few herbs, mostly basil. Once upon a time I planted a huge garden, (hired a tractor person - kind of garden) with all types of vegetables and fruits. I loved working in it and weeding it, etc. Mostly I photographed it. lol. But when everything "came in", I panicked. Had no idea what to do with all that stuff. So, I just called everybody I knew and said "Help! Come get this stuff!".

And so they did.

Anyway, lesson learned. Now I only plant what I will actually eat, or... freeze.

But I love your garden. Some day when I have more time, I'd like to try it again.

reply to post by ladyinwaiting


Thanks so much ladyinwaiting.

"Edible Sanctuary" - I like that. Can I use it? ...It's good to share - it's also good not to do more than we need to do. ...Fresh fruit and enough to eat and freeze sounds great to me!

Namaste.

Beautiful! Thank you for sharing.

reply to post by soficrow


Well of course you can!

I'm replying because I, who never opens ATS in my office (I must set a good example and only do work-stuff while I'm there), opened this thread while in my office, to show off your wonderful garden.

Wish you could have heard the oooo's and ahhh's. Most importantly, several of them (patients) thought they might try it. One of them said she knew she couldn't do anything on that scale, but she could just do a small area of it. We talked about how you combined the flowers in with the edibles, and other details.

Anyway, wanted you to know your garden was inspiring, to some who needed to be inspired. It's all good.

reply to post by ladyinwaiting


Thank you!

btw - Don't know what kind of 'patients' you work with, but this kind of garden works very well for people with mobility issues including arthritis and health problems that "flare." The worst that can happen is a few weeds take hold (there's not much room for many) - and they fit right in! ..."Wild" is great camouflage.

Am now playing in my garden - yeah spring! - be back when it rains.

Hello.
First of all, you have a beautiful garden. Very productive, varied and flowing. I just love it!

For all the first timers on the thread, growing beans/peas with tomatoes is a wonderful idea, as the beans and peas provide a rich source of nitrogen for the tomatoes.

My garden is a little more structured than yours, as it is a shared project with my mother in law, who grew up on a farm in Russia. We definately have that wild look going though, we have a mini field of strawberries and wildflowers (when I say mini, I mean mini, its a backyard!) a copse of raspberry bushes and shasta daisies, which grew wild after a pool was removed (????cant figure that one out!) We are currntly on the hunt for blackcurrant and red currant bushes to go with the blueberries and gooseberries...we have an herb garden with several varieties of mint, thyme, sage. Plus the old stand by's, rosemary, parsley, lemon balm, dill, chammomile, st. johns wart and oregano (which seems to be a major attractor of bees, although I don't use it much for eating)
We also grow the required peppers, tomatoes, cukes, scallions, radish and carrots. We try beets every year but I think it may get too hot around here for them, or we always plant them too late, never have much luck.

For all of you that are worried about radiaition I read a thread on here that has convinced me (didn't take much mind you ) that hemp seed actually helps to remove radiaition from the soil. OP your backyard looks nice and private and who would notice a little hemp sprouting along with some lupins? Just some food for thought!

Another tip for the newbs. Go get yourself some asparagus root. They come up every year and multiply to boot, cut them often and they will send up shoots all summer. If you get two year old roots you will get asparagus THIS year and more and more in subsequent years. It's one of those things that are expensive to purchase, easy to grow and little discussed amongst gardeners!

MyMindisMyOwn has a great thread going on gardening 101. Tips, tricks and more. www.abovetopsecret.com...
For the newbs.

OP thankyou for sharing your edible paradise. Hopefully I will get some pics up after a season of warmth and plentitude (gotta look on the bright side!) Spirng has sprung, so happy planting and may you have much in return.
MG